


4E 199, 24th Evening Star

by Saquira



Series: The MoT Elder Scrolls 'verse [10]
Category: Elder Scrolls
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 08:39:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7501557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saquira/pseuds/Saquira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The door was thrown open suddenly, and many eyes found the man that stepped through. He was untroubled, lowering his leather hood and wiping snow of his clothes before stepping up to the bar. His hand put a handful of thalms on the desk before he spoke.</p>
            </blockquote>





	4E 199, 24th Evening Star

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on May 4th, 2013 on chorrol.com.

The wind was blowing hard outside the wooden walls of the Dead Mans' Drink, sending up snow in large white clouds. It was a quiet place, especially considering it was Saturalia, and the few that talked did so at a low tone while the bard was working on restringing his lute. The majority of people in the inn were Nords, men and women whom had no-one to celebrate the holiday with, or whom had chosen to do so with their friends in the tavern. Only one non-human could be found in the room, and so suspicious looks came her way every now and then.  
  
The door was thrown open suddenly, and many eyes found the man that stepped through. He was untroubled, lowering his leather hood and wiping snow of his clothes before stepping up to the bar. His hand put a handful of thalms on the desk before he spoke.  
  
“A bottle of wine and a bowl of soup please,” the High elf male said with a smile, and the innkeeper nodded in response, pouring some soup from the nearby cauldron and handing it to him together with a spoon, a bottle and a glass. The elf took them with a simple thank you, and walked over to the table where the lone elf woman was sitting. She bent her head up towards him when he sat down, raising an eyebrow silently.  
  
“Well, you certainly look better than when we met the last time,” he said and gestured in the direction of her face. She smiled, and the action accentuated the dimples she'd acquired over the years. The raven black hair on her head was cut short, and though she'd gained several scars over the past two centuries, she looked no more than five years the senior of the woman she'd once been. The hide armour fit snugly around her slim body, and a recurve bow rested against the leg of the table.  
  
“What can I say, the life of a hunter suits me better than I thought,” she answered with a smile, leaning back in the wooden chair. The light thrown upon them from the fire gave her dark skin a warmer tone, but it also helped him see the tattoo in the shape of a hand that rested upon her forehead.  
  
“So I see. What happened to your eyes?” Her smile faltered slightly when he mentioned it, his eyes meeting hers. He couldn't tell if she was looking at him, because a milky white mist covered them, and the last trace of the Dunmer red was long since gone.  
  
“Animal attack. Amazing the kind of damage some claws can do,” she said with sullen mirth, smiling slightly when she downed the remains of the drink in her own glass. Sorcalin's lips turned up slightly, and he uncorked the bottle he'd bought and filled up both of their glasses, at which she raised her eyebrow again. “Now that's something I haven't seen for a century.” She smirked.  
  
“Shouldn't you be blind?” Sorcalin asked with a puzzled look.  
  
“I'm blind, trust me. But there are other ways to see than with your eyes. My other senses are all heightened, and I got some help to modify a life detect enchantment.” She raised her hand on which a silver ring rested before taking another sip from her glass as he started eating his soup. “Stone has the least amount of energy, then there's metal and dead tree. You'd be amazed at the amount of differences there can be in life energy. For example, your lips and eyes have a different tint than the rest of your face, which is how I know that you're smiling. It also changes depending on people's mood,” she said, sighing into the glass.  
  
“Sounds useful,” the Altmer commented.  
  
“If you can't see, yes. Anyone else would probably just get one heck of a headache though. I know what a nuisance the normal spell was. Took me a full hundred years to get used to it.” She turned her head to the fire, closing her eyes briefly as she felt the warmth against them. He smiled slightly at the sight, before her eyes snapped open again and she turned her head back to the High Elf. The smile faltered slightly, as the dimness in her eyes meant that he did not know whether she was looking at him, or something in her peripheral.  
  
“So, how do you occupy yourself these days? Last time we met I recall that you were very active with the Synod and their business.” He smiled again at that comment, and took another sip of his drink.  
  
“Well, that is one thing that certainly has changed. I left the mages years ago, and have apparently become something of a legend here in Skyrim. There are all these interesting rumours of who I actually am, though none of them are actually true. It's quite fun, and a nice change of pace. Mostly however, I run the Thieves guild operating out of Riften here in Skyrim. It's quite profitable if you know what you're doing, which I do of course. We're currently working on expanding the business into the other cities, though its taking some time.” He smiled as he finished, and the woman answered the smile with one of her own. “My biggest problem at the moment is the current Brotherhood listener, as she's quite volatile, but I'm hoping that we'll be able to get along. Though perhaps you could talk to her, you're quite the legend within the Brotherhood, are you not?” he said and smirked, at which she looked around briefly and narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
“And that's something that I'd like to keep the same. There's a reason to why I've changed my name. Sithis only knows what they'd do if they knew I still live,” she muttered, taking another drink from the plain glass in front of her. He chuckled slightly, mirroring the action.  
  
“I'd have thought the honest life would bore you, with all the adventures you used to be a part of,” he spoke before putting a spoon of soup in his mouth, and the woman grimaced, her milky white eyes narrowing at him.  
  
“You forget the fact that I'd never known an honest life, nor a quiet one, when all of that began. Two hundred years ago I wouldn't have had the sense to take the opportunity when it was offered to me, because I'd been given no reason to dislike my life,” she said, staring into the wine as he ate of his meal.  
  
“I know what you mean, if only in part. It doesn't take much to change a person forever,” he sighed when he finally managed to answer.  
  
“Well yeah, I suppose you'd know all about that.” They fell quiet for a while, both of them silently thinking of those whom they'd lost, before Sorcalin finally shook his head and looked up at her.  
  
“We're a fine sight, sitting here on the eve of Saturalia while discussing things that we'd both rather have forgotten.” He smiled slightly as he spoke up, and the Dark elf looked up, hardly being able to contain her smile.  
  
“Yeah,” she muttered, looking down into her glass as she swirled the liquid slightly.  
  
“So, there’ll be a new century soon. Do you have any plans for it?” The Dark Elf smiled at the awful attempt at small talk, but answered none the less.  
  
“Not really. I might learn a new craft or move to another city, I don’t know, might even leave Skyrim. Hammerfell perhaps, as they managed to drive out the Thalmor,” she said, and Sorcalin nodded thoughtfully.  
  
“Well, Hammerfell is certainly a nice place. I still think it’d bore you though,” he said, taking a bite of his food.  
  
“Then what do you suggest?” she asked with a sigh, and he smiled back at her.  
  
“Well Feli…” he began, stopping immediately when she raised her hand for him to stop.  
  
“Don’t speak that name. It’d Fedura now, Fedura Hlaalu to be specific.” He raised his eyebrow at that, but didn’t comment on her new name.  
  
“Well Fedura, what would you say if I offered you a job?” he asked finally, and she snorted.  
  
“With the Thieves guild? No thank you, I’ve had enough of being a criminal,” she said with a sigh, and he looked impatient when he continued.  
  
“Do you really think the only people I deal with are the Thieves guild? No, I have several… let’s call them private contractors, on my payroll. You’d be obtaining information, perhaps infiltrating certain factions. Delivering certain good across the border. Considerably less heat than assassination, if you ever get caught. There’s always something that needs to be done,” he finished, and by that time Fedura was looking at him curiously.  
  
“Of course, you’ve never been able to leave others to take care of their own business,” she said, and he smiled.  
  
“I suppose not. None the less, I think your skills should be used. If people think you're blind, they won't see you as much of a threat any longer, and you could use that to your advantage,” he said, finally finishing his meal and glancing at the clock hanging above the fireplace.  
  
“Very well, I'll consider it,” she said with a sigh when he stood up, reaching his hand out for her to shake. She took it, answering his bright smile with a smaller one of her own.  
  
“I'm glad to hear it. I need to be off now though, I've got a lot to arrange before the beginning of the new year,” he said and pushed the chair in after standing up.  
  
“Very well. How did you find me?” she only just remembered to ask before he left, and he turned back towards her, already having walked halfway across the room.  
  
“That, I'll only tell you if you accept my offer,” he said with a mischievous smile before turning around again and heading out through the door. It had swung closed again by the time that she came up with an answer. And because their last exchange had drawn quite a bit of attention, Fedura emptied her goblet before standing up and picking up her things. Then she left a few thalms on the table and headed outside into the cold air.


End file.
